The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1887-09-08
PROTECTING The rEurlE
A Democratic Attack on Rspacious and
Greedy Land-G rant CorporatIons.

A Democratic Attack on Rapacious and
Greedy Land-G rant Corporations.
Through the Secretary of the In
terror the Administration has Just
rendered decision important not only
in its immediate effects, but also as
conspicuously significant of the atti-
tude of the Government toward or
gained spectators in Congressional
land grants.
The Atlantic & Pacific railway is one
of scores of like corporations that have
received colossal land grants. There
have been many notable and scandal
Gus failures to earn such grants, and
public opinion has been wrought at
times to severe reprobation of the
whole policy of subsidies from the pub
lie domain for the purpose or upon the
pretense of railway construction.
Both political parties in their conven-
tions of 1884 called for legislation
which would work complete forfeiture
of all unearned grants. The House
had passed the necessary bills for the
recovery of nearly two hundred million
acres of the public domain squandered
! upon spectators. Many members of
the Senate who sat in the convention
that nominated Blaine and voted yea
upon the resolution which demanded in
effect the passage of the House bills
returned to their seats in the Senate
and deliberately defeated all of the
bills except one or two of minor i'm
pOrtance, whose passage was not re-
sisted by lobby. To forfeit unearned
grants was legislative work. To
administer the law concerning the
public domain, which included all
land grant legislation, is an executive
act. For twenty years prior to the ad.
vent of Cleveland Executive favoritism
toward land grant corporations was
as apparent in the ruling of the In
terror Department. as, until the revul-
sion in public sentiment some ten
years ago, was the recklessness of Con-
gress in voting away public lands upon
the slightest pretexts.
The Secretary of the Interior could
not revoke the acre subsidy of the At
lantic & Pacific or any other corpora
ton but under the general laws con-
corning the public domain it rested
with him to determine one important
point concerning these grants. Un-
sanctioned by law, but fostered by
past favoritism at Washington, the
practice had grown up of withhold
ing from public presumption vast areas
of public domain upon the
ground that, as the beneficiary
corporations could not to
certainty enjoy their full land grant,
they were entitled to indemnity
for any losses arising from shortage by
reason of previous entries upon alter
nate sections, or from any cause. That
these spectators should have absolute
assurance of this indemnity they in
duced the Government to set aside vast
areas outside the belt of their actual
grant, from which they might recoup
themselves at their leisure. Areas so
withheld have been called indemnity
lands. At times the area so with
drawn has been as large as the State of
Minnesota. At the present time no
less than 25,0O0,0 600 acres would thus
be withheld were it not that with the
approval of the President the Secreta-
ry of the Interior has reversed the old
time policy of the Land-office, and by
a decision on the claim of the Atlantic
& Pacific, which is clearly and justly
in the public interest as against cor
porate greed. has placed these lands
subject to the operation of the home
stead law.
Sixty millions of people who may
not concern themselves about details,
will note with more or less satisfac-
ton, accordingly as they have know
ledge of vicious land grant legislation
and of the attitude of successive adj
ministrations toward land grant rail-
roads, that at last the Gov eminent
considers the interest of the public
rather than the claim of jObbers.
ca0O Herald